Better Man
by justanoutlaw
Summary: David wants to be a better husband and father than Robert ever was. In order to do that, he must tell the truth and accept whatever consequences come his way.


**So, this is basically a canon divergence of "Page 23″ forward. Hook and Emma amicably break up after she catches him with the dream catcher, so there was no need for her to make a choice with the flower. That also means there's no wedding stuff going on in the background of this. (But there is no Hook bashing in this fic. Honestly, it minorly calls out why they just don't work as a couple, but nothing bad about either of them as characters.)**

**This is a continuation of David's arc, dealing with finding out more on his father and coming clean about the things he did to get that information. To me, he got off way too easy for lying to Snow and stealing from Emma. I love his relationships with them, Snowing is my OTP, but this angst is needed so healing may begin.**

The night following the sleeping curse on their hearts being lifted should've been a happy one. They should've spent it having sex and barely sleeping a wink. David should've been able to enjoy the first night he had his wife back.

And yet…he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Emma and Killian had broken up, after the latter came clean about killing David's father. It wasn't the act itself, that was so long ago. It was the fact that he had kept it a secret for so long and they realized they were always keeping secrets. They acknowledged that they both deserved better and split on amicable terms. Killian decided to take Nemo up on his offer to voyage around the seven seas.

If he could be honest with Emma, after all those lies…David could be honest with Snow after a marriage of truth.

She was snuggled up in his chest, looking up at him with all the love in the world. Love he didn't feel like he deserved.

He tried not to think about his father and all the times he had lied. All the times his father had yelled at him for picking flowers or drawing. Why didn't he play with the wooden sword he had carved for him? Why did he lie and say that he had cleaned his room?

The bruises only stopped after his father's death.

Shaking it off, David stroked Snow's cheek. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I…" He shut his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "I lied to you."

Snow tilted her head. "What?"

"I told you I was going to give up on trying to find out who killed my father, but I didn't. While we were apart, I spent a couple of days awake to do it."

She frowned. "Why would you lie?"

"It was so important to you that I give up and I focus on our family, our children. I didn't want to let you down, but it was important to me too. I had to know."

Snow pulled away from him, folding her arms over her chest. "You know, David, if you had really, really needed to do this, I would've understood. You could've been honest, I could've helped you before all of this happened."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I did a lot of crazy things, I took a day away from Neal to do this, I robbed you a day with him since it was your time. I stole from Emma…"

"You stole from Emma?"

"I had Killian give me the keys to their shed, so I could get some potions."

Snow buried her head in her hands. "David," she groaned.

"I've felt guilty about it ever since it happened."

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Does she know?"

"No."

"You need to tell her then. We promised after Maleficent that we were going to be honest about everything. I reamed her for not telling us about her visions!" Tears clouded Snow's eyes. "I used us as an example, David. I told her that we had no secrets."

"Outside of this, we don't." He saw the look of doubt in her eyes and it was as if she shot one of her arrows to his chest. He had seen that look of doubt in his mother's eyes, every time his father promised he'd stop drinking. "And I know you have no reason to believe me. I have to earn your trust back, and I will."

He took her hand and kissed it, clutching it so she'd look into his honest eyes. She sighed and rested her forehead against his.

"I know that this guilt is punishing you more than I ever could."

"I really am sorry."

"I know."

"I also know it's not enough."

"It's not, but…I also know that it's not unfixable." She stroked his cheek. "This is the second time you've lied to "protect me", David. Actually, the third. I didn't even know your real name until after we got engaged. I understand why, but…we need to work on our problems. We'll never be Emma and Hook, but we need to get to root of why you feel you need to do this."

David nodded. "I don't want to be my father. I want to be the husband you deserve, the father that Emma and Neal do as well. I'm going to be a better man, Snow. I promise."

"You're already a good man, David. You just have some problems." She gently kissed him. "And we're going to fix them. Starting with you talking to Emma."

The next morning, David pulled his truck up in front of the big blue house. It was so close to the ocean that he could practically taste the sea salt in his mouth as he walked up the steps, passing the For Sale sign planted on the lawn. As he used his key to get in, he couldn't help but notice that the sign now had another one over it that read "SOLD".

He walked inside and found Emma in the kitchen, packing things into boxes. "Hey, it already sold?"

Emma nodded. "One of the couples from the Land of Untold stories, bunch of kids. It'll be a fresh start for them…and me."

Emma had decided to sell the house after Killian left town. She'd be moving back in with her parents temporarily, until she could find a new place or until they got a bigger one for all of them. David and Snow had been looking into property, possibly looking at building a house on a farm. Neal was getting bigger and they knew that they were slowly outgrowing the loft. It was a sad change, that had been their home for so long. It had been Emma's first real home, one where she had met her family.

Change was inevitable, though. The past year alone had taught them that.

"What brings you by?" Emma asked. "I thought for sure you'd be with Mom, you guys have a lot of catching up to do."

"I needed to talk to you. Do you um…do you mind if we talk for a minute?"

Emma gave him an odd look before settling down across from him at the table. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Emma, by now you know that I went on a quest to find my father while your mom was asleep."

She nodded, wincing a bit, "Yeah. My ex-fiancé was the culprit."

"I know, and that's not what I want to talk about. That whole mission…I went about it the wrong way. I lied to your mother, I promised her I'd give it up and I didn't."

"Is she mad at you?"

"She's disappointed."

Emma let out a low whistle. "That's even worse."

David slightly chuckled. "I know."

"She'll forgive you, though. I mean, she forgave me for lying to her, so did you."

"You're right. However, in order to be forgiven, you need to take the first step and apologize, while also work on being better. Which I'm going to do. I lie, because I think I'm protecting people. When really, that's no excuse. I shouldn't do it and I don't want to, not anymore. I'm going to go to Archie and work on it."

Emma reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm proud of you, Dad."

Tears stung his eyes and he ducked his head away. Her smile faded a bit and she studied his face.

"You've lied to me about something, haven't you?" She whispered, pulling her hand away.

"Not a lie…but a secret."

"You said no more secrets. You promised me, after Maleficent."

David winced. In that moment, she sounded so much like a little kid. Like he had when he was a little kid, Robert stumbling home, drunk off his ass again.

"You promised me, Father."

"I know."

Emma sat up straighter and he could practically feel her mood shift. "What'd you do this time?"

"I stole potions from your shed so I could find where my father went the night he died."

She frowned. "Was that the day that I took Henry kayaking? I came back for the lifejackets and Killian was acting weird."

"Yes."

"So, you made my fiancé lie to me and you stole from me."

"Emma…"

"No, you know what, he made his own choices and we came to terms with the fact that he was wrong. But at least he owned up to it."

"I'm doing that now," David said, softly. "I am so sorry, Emma."

"If you had just come to me, I would've helped you."

"I was afraid. I knew you wouldn't approve of the endgame I had in mind."

"Maybe not, but you still should've come to me."

"I know. And I have felt guilty ever since, I should've told you right away but I am now. I just need you to know, I'm sorry. I really am."

Emma stared at him and he could tell that she was trying to use her super power. She had stopped trying to over the years, because she learned it didn't work. It never did with Killian and it definitely didn't when they had lied to her about why they were so apprehensive about the queens.

"Leave," she said, finally.

David nodded and got up, heading for the door. He'd give her, her space, just as he was giving Snow. When he reached the door, he paused, his hand hovering over the knob.

"I love you, Em."

"I know you do. That's what makes this worse."

David walked out the door, feeling as if he had just been hit by arrow number two.

Emma put her things in storage once she was done packing them up within the next couple of days. She was meant to go to her parents' loft that night, but she didn't want to and she knew that no one would blame her. Granny's was the last place she wanted to be, she was upset enough without the uncomfortable mattress and gossip. She knew that Belle had gone back to staying with Rumple with the Black Fairy running around but given how tense things still were with Gideon, she also knew better than to ask if she could crash in the apartment above the library..

So, she headed to the sheriff station. The cots weren't much better than at Granny's, but at least she'd avoid the gossip and could get some work done.

Settling her duffel down by her desk, she caught a glimpse of the picture of her and David that was hung on the bulletin board above the faded Bike Safety Fair poster. She could remember the day it had been taken, shortly after Elsa and Anna went back to Arendelle. It was the first time she and David could officially celebrate being co-sheriffs. Snow was so proud, sending them off to work together on the first day that the town hadn't been in danger. They could have a normal day, like normal sheriffs, just like Emma had before the curse broke. When Snow had swung by with Neal to drop off lunch, she insisted on taking a picture in front of the squad car.

It had been a happy day. She was working with her father, they were a family. They all trusted each other.

How could so much have changed?

She knew that she wasn't perfect. She had lied to her family too, she had let them down as the Dark One. Yet, she was trying to work on that. How could he do this to her after all of that? Was it out of revenge? Had she really been that terrible of a daughter?

Shaking her head, she blinked the tears from her eyes and turned to her paperwork. She had a lot to get done before she could even think about ordering takeout from Granny's.

The first therapy session went a lot better than David expected. Both he and Snow were honest, about a lot of things. Archie encouraged him to share some issues he had with how Snow had been handling jumping back in and acting as if life was normal when it clearly wasn't. Snow aired her grievances about the lies. One thing was clear from both of them, however: they didn't want to end up like their parents. They wanted a healthy marriage, one without lies and lots of trust. Archie knew they could get there.

They entered the session with heavy hearts and left feeling lighter, smiling even. Archie had given them "homework", which was really just going out and enjoying a night to themselves, something they hadn't fully had in a while. They went out to dinner at the new Chinese restaurant in town, they took a walk on the beach and just talked for hours, about everything. It felt good. Not all of their problems were solved, but they were excited to work on them.

According to Rumple, even Fiona was gone. He had taken care of her and she wasn't coming back. He, Belle and Gideon were working on their relationship as well. So, now even the impending final battle wasn't a threat any longer.

He didn't want to call it a fresh start. No, that was what Robert had called their new lives when he left that final time. Instead, it was a new chapter. One without lies, one with trust and unbroken promises.

There was just one person missing from their story.

David knew Emma needed space to cool off. He had gone back to work, but she had posted a note on the bulletin board announcing they'd work separate shifts. She took evenings, he had mornings. He thought he'd at least see her for change of shifts, but she had their new deputy, Thomas, take over until she came. He couldn't even complain, he deserved it.

After a week of not hearing from her, David knew that he would have to make an effort. Even if she was mad, he wanted her to know that she hadn't left his mind. He'd be here, whenever she was ready. He had already texted Thomas that he would stick around until Emma came the following day and already knew what he was going to say.

It wasn't until later that night that he realized he had left his phone at the station. He almost wanted to forget about it and just get it in the morning, but something told him to go then. Emma would be gone, the second shift was over and one of the other officers would be on patrol. So, giving kisses to Snow and Neal, he headed out into the cold.

Once inside the station, he headed back into the office and nearly tripped over something. Flicking on the light, he found his cell phone…along with a duffel bag on the ground. It looked familiar, almost too familiar. He heard light snoring coming from the cell and turned around to find Emma sleeping on one of the cots, the door opened wide.

He didn't even have to ask why. Her house was sold and he had assumed she was staying at Granny's. She always complained about how uncomfortable the mattresses were, she really should've known better.

David walked over and knelt down in front of her, gently shaking her. "Em?"

Emma's eyes flickered open and she hazily smiled for a moment, until she realized it was him and she sat up straight, smoothing down her flannel night shirt. "What are you doing here?"

"I left my phone behind. Have you really been staying here this past week?"

She shrugged. "Granny's sucks and I didn't want people gossiping."

"I thought maybe you'd get a new apartment."

"It's no use. I'm going to come home…eventually."

David's heart fluttered a bit at her referencing at the loft as home, along with the fact that she did want to come back. Even if the reason why she was avoiding it was him.

"Emma…"

"Was I that bad?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"As the Dark One. When I lied to you and Mom, when I hid all the stuff I did…was I seriously that bad?"

"You've apologized for all of that. We forgave you."

"Clearly not, or else why would you have kept that secret from me?"

David's face fell and he knelt in front of the cot. He thought of all the times he had blamed himself for his dad's drinking. If he had just been a good boy, if he hadn't lied or dented the cabinets. If he had said he loved him more, if he gave him more hugs. So many if onlys, so many what-ifs and way too many maybes. He wasn't going to let his own kids think that.

"Emma, this wasn't your fault," David told her. "It was mine. I didn't keep this from you to punish you for what you did."

"Then why did you?"

"Because I was scared. I never wanted you to see me the way I was that day. In the end, you saw him anyway. A man who put his deadbeat father above his own family, one who needed him more."

"I thought you were okay with your father."

"I was…but I've had more time to think about it. He was wrong to go and try to take James. If he had done it to return him to George, to get the reward money, maybe we wouldn't have struggled. It wasn't enough to him that he had me and my mother to get sober for, he had to do it for James." He shook his head. "He wasn't a good man or a good father. He was what I always thought he was, a drunk who let us all down."

David let out a deep breath.

"I don't want to be that to you, Emma. I know your whole life, all you thought was that your father had failed you. I promised you to be better, to do better and yet…I failed again. I don't want to be my father. I don't want to make promises and break them, to make you or your mother or Neal think that you can't trust me."

"Dad…"

"Please, let me finish. I know that trust has to be earned. That's what we told you after you lied to us, but it goes both ways. I'm rebuilding your mother's trust, I want to be able to rebuild yours. Not because I need it for my own redemption, but because I don't want to lose my daughter. Not again."

Emma looked at him for a minute and then patted the bed next to her. He got up and settled beside her.

"As uncomfortable as this cot is, the floor is worse," she mused. David simply nodded, clearly unsure of what to say. "I do understand why you lied. It's why I did it too, at least partially. Back then, while I was glad that I had saved him, I was ashamed that all that hard work had failed. Still, what you did…it hurt. You're my dad and I want to be able to trust you. I want to know that when I look at you, there are no secrets."

"And you should be able to."

"In time, I know I'll see that again. Dad, I forgive you. It's not okay and I'm still not sure what to believe, but I get why you did it. And if you and Mom are working on your relationship, then maybe we can work on ours. Mom and I have already started seeing Archie together as well. He's getting a good chunk of change from us."

David couldn't help but smile. "I swear we're funding his new house."

"Probably."

"Thank you, Emma. For giving me a second chance."

"We all deserve them, that's what you taught me. And hey?" She nudged him so he'd fully look at her. "You're not your dad. You gave me up, to give me my best chance. And your dad never truly tried to work on his problems, you are. You're a better man than him. A better father."

David felt a tear slide down his cheek. "Coming from you…means the world."

"Would you mind if I came back home?"

"I'd want nothing more."

He stood up and she went to as well, nearly tripping over her own two feet. He grabbed hold of her.

"I gotchya."

"I know," she said. "I trust you."


End file.
